


healing wounds and happy birthday wishes

by starryeyedchar



Series: The Meaning of Hyacinths (Roy Mustang Can't Catch A Break AU) [2]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt Roy Mustang, Hurt/Comfort, Major Character Injury, Parental Maes Hughes, Parental Roy Mustang, from the previous work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-03 04:35:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19456462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starryeyedchar/pseuds/starryeyedchar
Summary: “By all means, wish Elicia a happy birthday from me," Roy said.“Actually,” Maes began, nervously squeezing his eyes shut as if that could prevent him from hearing Roy's response to what he was about to ask. “I was wondering— and normally I wouldn't even ask, since I know how busy you are, but since you're decidedly not busy until you're allowed to get back to work—”“Spit it out, Hughes.”“I thought you might like to come?”Or the one where Roy goes to Elicia's third birthday party at his best friend's request and gets the validation he needs. And also finds out about some of the strange things that have been happening in Central, and decides he wants to help.





	healing wounds and happy birthday wishes

**Author's Note:**

> This one really got away from me. I'm sorry, I can't resist having ALL the dialogue. It's been nearly six months since the last work, but now that it's summer again I have free time, and I'm REALLY excited about this AU. The response to the last fic was amazing, so I hope the people who liked that one are still around. The good news is that I already started the next installment, so that should be up fairly soon, and that's probably the Biggest one in terms of where things differ from the show. My whole idea is I'm going to go through the show's plot writing the things that are different, and there's going to be a lot more of that as we progress. The focus of this AU is Roy and Maes' friendship and Roy in general, so it'll mostly revolve around that. I'm super excited.
> 
> Sorry again for the wait, but this one's a lot longer, and not ENTIRELY angst? So, hopefully you'll enjoy! I also really want to see your thoughts and theories for where this will go in the comments, because I always have a blast reading them.
> 
> P.S. All of the Hughes family are masters of sass. Including Winry, as Elicia's honorary sister. And Roy is tired.

Maes Hughes had meant it when he said that Roy could call him any time. But of course, his stubborn best friend made him do all the work.

The number of personal calls he took would probably get him in a bit of trouble, Maes mused, but he could pass off some of those with his best friend as business related. Calling Gracia was less excusable, so more often than not he found himself dialing Roy's number.

Roy's constant protests against such calls might've had more effect if Maes didn't know that Roy had absolutely nothing better to do. And he also knew that Roy did appreciate it, deep down.

“Hughes, for the last time, I don't need you to check up on me every other day! This is the third call this week alone! I'm fine, I just want to get back to work.”

Really, _really_ deep down.

After his fight with Scar and sustaining such serious injuries, Roy wasn't allowed to start working again for a few weeks. He'd insisted to almost everyone that he was fine by now— and he was, for the most part, the concussion had been minor and therefore healed fairly quickly, though his broken leg was still in a cast —but the higher ups had apparently made up their minds. As had Lieutenant Hawkeye.

Maes was _completely_ on board with Roy spending more time recovering. His worries of Scar choosing to go after him again were eased by Hawkeye having a guard by Roy's apartment at all hours of the day, typically herself or Lieutenant Havoc. And he knew Roy well enough to know that he was probably lying about how hurt he still was.

But he also knew that his best friend would be going positively out of his mind with boredom and frustration under what was essentially health-based house arrest. Roy Mustang poured everything he had into working, it was just what he did. He didn't take a lot of time off, and he _definitely_ didn't pay enough attention to his own wellbeing when there were 'more important things' to worry about.

At this point, Maes was certain that Roy would've killed just to be allowed to do _paperwork_ , which he typically put off until the very last possible second.

Therefore, the phone calls. And if Maes was procrastinating doing some paperwork of his own then, well, no one had to know that.

“You know perfectly well you're in no state to go back to work just yet,” Maes scolded, earning a long suffering groan from the other end. “And I didn't _just_ call to check up on you. I actually have important news!”

Roy sighed. “If you're having another kid, I don't want to know. I don't think I can handle you fawning over Gracia like that a second time.”

Maes grinned. That was a very nice thought, and he almost told him that they _were_ in fact, trying for a second kid— but then decided that Roy would probably respond to that by immediately hanging up. Instead, he got straight to the point.

“There's been rumors circulating here that I thought you might be interested in,” he said. “Due to Scar's galavanting about Central, many State Alchemists were killed. And so we're a bit... understaffed, so to speak, in the alchemy department.”

A beat of silence. “ _Oh_?” Roy prompted finally, and damn him, Maes could practically _hear_ the smirk in his voice.

But he couldn't help it; he smiled, too. Roy's promotion to Central was amazing— not only an important stepping stone for Roy's plans to become Fuhrer, but Maes was just happy at the idea of working in close proximity with his best friend again. He trusted Hawkeye, of course, and the rest of Roy's team, but keeping an eye on Roy himself did help with his tendency to worry.

And besides. Maes had missed him.

“It's probably safe to say you can expect some sort of official notice soon. I'm not sure if they'd tell you upon your return or before, since they might simply want you to start here as soon as possible,” Maes continued. “But regardless, you're moving up in the ranks.”

“Might I ask whose proposal this was?” Roy still sounded entirely too smug, but Maes didn't mind it. This _was_ cause for celebration, and he felt pretty smug himself, except for the fact that the cause of this had been a string of serial murders. Still...

“You wouldn't believe it,” Maes said. “But let's just say that someone very powerful took notice of you being the only alchemist who faced Scar alone and survived.”

“'Faced' is a strong word,” Roy muttered. “'Had my ass kicked' might be a bit more accurate. I'm only alive because I had help.”

Maes rolled his eyes. “Well, they're impressed anyway. And I suggest you don't try to talk the Fuhrer out of giving you a promotion.”

“The _Fuhrer_?!" Roy asked immediately. “He was the one who—?!”

“I can't confirm or deny that.”

Roy paused again, seeming to try and contain the emotions he was no doubt feeling. “How interesting,” he said finally, and Maes' grin fell.

“Watch yourself,” he said before Roy could continue. Roy's voice only sounded like that before he tried something incredibly dangerous and equally stupid. That is, he sounded like he was crafting a devious plan in his head as they spoke. Maes didn't doubt that he was. “People aren't going to be happy that someone as young as you are is encroaching on the senior staff. They might try—”

_To manipulate you. To hurt you. To kill—_

“...Something.”

“Something,” Roy echoed, voice still amused beyond belief. “I've told you before, I've been prepared for that from the start. If I'm going to try to make my way to the top, I can't afford to be afraid.”

_That doesn't mean I'm not._

“Take my advice,” Maes said instead. “If not as someone who's gone to Central before you, then as your friend. It's _dangerous_ to be in your position. You're going to want to surround yourself with people you can trust.”

“I think I can handle myself,” Roy deadpanned. “And what's this about people I trust? Won't I be able to bring my team with me?”

Maes sighed. “Yes, I just meant—”

“Well, then, what's the problem? Besides, _you're_ there, and I trust you.”

Maes couldn't help it, he smiled again at that. He knew Roy trusted him, of course, but he didn't get verbal confirmation very often.

Before he could voice how much that meant to him, however, Roy spoke again.

“And don't let that go to your head. We've known each other for ages, so obviously I trust you. You've never given me a reason not to.”

“Thanks,” Maes said simply, trying mask the near overwhelming fondness he felt for his best friend in that moment. He knew Roy wouldn't appreciate him being overly 'mushy' about it, but he couldn't help it. 

Roy wasn't a very affectionate person. One could easily tell when he cared about someone because of how terrible he was at hiding it, but he didn't outright say things like that much. Or ever. Maes knew Roy would risk his life or even die for him in about two seconds flat, but hearing him outright say that he trusted Maes when Roy famously distrusted almost everyone on principle... it made him happy.

“Don't mention it,” Roy mumbled.

“That's not quite what I meant though,” Maes said, deciding to change the subject before Roy got uncomfortable. “You don't just need allies inside the military, it's good to have people in your corner outside it, too.”

“What're you getting at, Hughes?”

“Well, your whole ladies' man false routine will only work for so long,” Maes began. “There are other ways to make yourself seem like less of a threat. And maybe you could use a... more _constant_ ally?”

Roy said nothing for a moment. Then, “I'm not sure I like what you're implying.”

Maes beamed at the irritation in his voice. “Come on, Roy! You won't be twenty-nine forever! Don't you think it's about time you settled down with a nice girl? Maybe even a couple of kids!”

“Hughes.”

“Oh, that's right, I forgot. You _can't_ get yourself a wife because you're already practically married to your Lieu—”

“I'm hanging _up_ now, Hughes.”

“Wait, wait, wait! Don't. Sorry. I do actually have something else to talk to you about.”

Roy groaned, but he stayed on the line. “Is this a good news, bad news type of situation? I'd have preferred you tell me the bad news first.”

“Try good news and even better news,” Maes said, beaming at the phone once again. “It's Elicia's birthday in a few days!”

Roy let out a muffled curse. “I was hoping you wouldn't bring that up.”

“You _knew_ already?”

“As if I could ever forget. You only called me several times when she was born and showed me about a million pictures,” Roy reminded him. “She's turning three, isn't she? A very exciting year.”

Maes was floored. “Then why didn't you—?”

“Call you and give you an excuse to gush about your daughter for the better part of an hour at the least? Figured I would pass,” Roy said. “But by all means, wish her a happy birthday from me.”

“Actually,” Maes began, nervously squeezing his eyes shut as if that could prevent him from hearing Roy's response to what he was about to ask. “I was wondering— and normally I wouldn't even ask, since I know how busy you are, but since you're decidedly not busy until you're allowed to get back to work—”

“Spit it out, Hughes.”

“I thought you might like to come?” Maes blurted out, all in one breath. He hadn't meant for it to be a question.

Roy didn't answer, and so Maes kept talking.

“It's not going to be a lot of people, just a bunch of her friends, some of Gracia's, some family, and, you know, I thought I'd extend the invitation? I understand completely if you don't think you can, because you should be moving around as little as possible with your leg how it is, but I also thought getting out might be nice, and I'd really like to see you. So, well, why not?”

Another moment of silence. “Hughes,” Roy began finally, his voice guarded. “I really don't know if that's the best idea. I'm not... great with kids.”

“Roy that's not true and you know it. Elicia adores you,” Maes said. “I know it was never made official, but me and Gracia both think of you as her godfather. We know you'd take care of her if something happened to us, and I know it would mean a lot to Elicia if you could come wish her a happy birthday. Please, just consider it?”

Maes was holding his breath when Roy finally started to respond.

“I'll come,” Roy said, sounding both exasperated and happy, if it were possible. “Of course I'll come. All you had to do was ask, you moron.”

Maes smiled. There was that fond feeling again. “Thanks, Roy. I really appreciate it.”

“I'm doing it for Elicia, not you.”

“All the more reason why I should appreciate it,” Maes said. “I'll see you then. Be there by six o'clock, or you'll miss the cake.”

“And we can't have that,” Roy said, with a laugh. “But of course. I'll be there.”

“Hey, you should bring the Lieutenant! You two should definitely start seeing each other in other settings beside work. You're both far too serious. Or just start seeing each other in general, because—”

“ _Goodbye_ , Hughes.”

Click.

“Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, you really should stop making so many personal calls,” the woman at the desk scolded.

Maes laughed, and hung up the receiver. “Sorry, sorry. Won't happen again.”

She glared at him. They both knew that was a flat out lie.

* * *

Roy frowned up at the door in front of him.

“If you want it to open you're going to have to knock, sir,” Riza said.

Roy turned and shot her a half hearted glare. “I _know_ that. Remind me, why did I choose to come here again?”

“Because, despite what you'd have everyone believe, you're actually far too soft for your own good?” she asked, her voice perfectly monotone.

“I have no need for your sass, Lieutenant.”

“We're technically off duty at the moment, so I can sass you as much as I please. Sir.”

Roy snorted. “Can't argue with that, I suppose. Though I'm not sure I would say 'off duty.' I still resent the fact that I apparently need a bodyguard at all times.”

“Not at all times, just when known murderers are still at large,” Riza said. “And anyway, I don't expect I could be of much use as a bodyguard while I'm carrying this ridiculous thing.”

Roy had to make a conscious effort to keep a smirk off his face at that. The ridiculously large teddy bear that he'd asked her to carry made it much harder to take her seriously. And he was enjoying every moment of it.

“But of course, I'm still injured. I thought you said I shouldn't be straining myself?”

The snide remark was completely worth the withering look he got in return.

It wasn't inaccurate, though. The concussion thankfully was no longer an issue, but his left leg had been decidedly wrecked.

It would fully heal in time, thankfully, but for a while yet he'd have a cast, and Roy had to walk with the assistance of crutches. He would still have to use those for a bit when he finally got back to work, which he wasn't thrilled about.

“If you're still injured then you should probably have more guards than me with you,” she pointed out.

Roy cursed. He'd walked right into that one. Or... hobbled, he supposed. She wasn't exactly wrong.

Before he could come up with another smart retort, Riza shifted the teddy bear to one hand and knocked sharply on the door with the other.

It swung open after a few short moments to reveal Maes Hughes looking positively overjoyed. Good lord, Roy could already hear screaming children inside.

Hughes' smile flickered slightly, taking in Roy's still very much broken leg, and he opened the door wider, stepping back to allow Roy inside. Riza followed, the corners of her mouth twitching up.

“How is it that you always manage to be late?” Hughes asked

“Sorry,” Roy said, making sure he didn't sound sorry at all. “But seeing as I can't exactly walk, you'll have to forgive me.”

Hughes frowned. “One moment you insist you're perfectly fine, and then the next you use your injury to make excuses. You're going to have to pick one, Roy, because at this rate neither argument is convincing.”

Roy shrugged, and did his best to keep a grin off his face.

Hughes sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose under his glasses. “Regardless, we waited for your sorry self to for the cake and Elicia is getting rather impatient, so if you could—”

He stopped, and his eyes snagged on where Riza was standing.

“Roy. What is that?”

“What is what? I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about,” Roy said innocently. "You'll have to be more specific.”

Hughes' eyes narrowed, but he didn't take them off of the item in Riza's arms. “ _That_ , Roy. The enormous teddy bear. What—?”

“Oh, you mean Elicia's present,” Roy interrupted with a smirk. “Yes, I had Havoc purchase it yesterday. Do you think she'll like it?”

“Like it? I don't even know if she'll be able to _carry_ it! It's bigger than she is!”

“Well, yes. That's sort of what I was going for.”

“How much did you _spend_ on it?”

“State Alchemists have very high salaries, Hughes. I wouldn't worry about it.”

Hughes looked like he wanted to say something else, but before he could a weight slammed into Roy's legs.

Whatever it was didn't seem too heavy, so it wouldn't have been a problem, if one of said limbs hadn't been broken just a few weeks prior.

Roy stumbled backwards, sucking in a breath as pain shot through his left leg. He would've fallen, had Hughes not reached out, caught him by the arm, and kept him standing.

“What the fu— _heck_?” Roy amended quickly, as he looked down to find that what had crashed into him was none other than the birthday girl herself. The smile he offered her when she looked up at him was pained, but no less genuine. “Hello, Elicia. Happy birthday.”

“Uncle Roy!” Elicia beamed, thoroughly oblivious. “You really came!”

“Oh my god, Roy— I'm so sorry, I told her you were coming but that you were hurt and that she should be careful but she's just so excited, I—”

“Maes, relax. It's fine,” Roy said, then once again turned his attention to the little girl who was still hugging him around the knees. “Of course I did.”

But Hughes, forever able to see when Roy was lying, still looked concerned. “Elicia, apologize. I told you that Uncle Roy got hurt, you can't jump on him like that.”

Elicia stepped back and seemed to notice Roy's cast for the first time. Her green eyes, the exact same shade as Hughes', went almost comically wide.

Almost being the key word, since her bottom lip began to tremble as well. “I'm sorry,” Elicia mumbled, about to cry. “I didn't mean to.”

“It's all right, sweetie,” Hughes assured her, already looking regretful at the prospect of tears. “Just be more careful next time, okay?”

“Yes, no harm done,” Roy agreed, panicked. If there was one thing he couldn't handle more than people crying, it was _children_ crying. “Elicia, would you like to see what my Lieutenant has for you? It's your birthday present!”

And just like that, Elicia's face brightened with a grin once again, all tears forgotten. She ran over to Riza and squealed, “A teddy bear!”

Hughes lifted Roy's crutches, which he had dropped, and handed them back to him. He still looked worried. “Are you sure you're okay?”

Roy waved him off. “Fine, she just surprised me. You worry so much it should be in your job description, Hughes.”

“It practically is, when it comes to you.”

“Colonel Mustang!”

Roy turned at the new voice to see Gracia walking over to them. Hughes immediately brightened at the sight of her, but Elicia called him over to see the newest gift, and so he reluctantly headed away from Roy and his wife after giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

“How many times do I have to tell you to just call me Roy?”

Gracia smiled. “Roy, then. I'm so glad you could make it. You've made Elicia so happy.”

“It's my pleasure,” Roy said. “Besides, your husband can be very persistent.”

“Even so, we would've understood if you preferred to stay at home. With your injuries, and all.” Her smile faded. “I'm... I heard about what happened. Your fight with Scar. It must've been terrifying.”

Roy huffed a laugh. “That's the odd thing. It wasn't, not really. I think everyone else was more scared than I was. I'm sorry about that, by the way... I know I really scared Hughes.”

Gracia shook her head. “Don't apologize. It's not your fault. He... called me from the hospital, when they still weren't sure if you would make it. Things were pretty up in the air for a bit, since you lost a lot of blood and they weren't sure if there was internal damage they couldn't see, like with the other victims... I guess I just wanted to say that we're both very glad you're okay.”

Roy smiled. “So am I.”

Hughes walked back over to them then, holding the giant bear and leading Elicia by the hand with Riza following them. “Man, this thing is heavy, Roy.” He set it down among the other gifts.

Gracia's eyes widened. “Oh, no, you shouldn't have.”

“And come to Elicia's third birthday party empty handed? I think not,” Roy said. “I brought something else, too.”

Roy knew he really shouldn't enjoy confusing his friends so much, but their faces were priceless when he pulled the bouquet of purple and blue hyacinths out of his sleeve.

Elicia gasped in delight. “Magic trick! Do it again!”

“Sorry, Elicia, but unfortunately I've only got one,” he said, with an apologetic smile, and handed it to Gracia. “For you.”

Gracia blinked. Elicia crossed her arms and pouted. Hughes just looked even more confused. “How long have you had those in there?”

“Well... thank you, Roy, they're beautiful, but... what are they for?” Gracia asked.

“They're hyacinths,” Roy told them. “They represent ladylike charm, of course.”

“I think maybe our daughter's birthday is not the ideal time for you to flirt with my wife,” Hughes said, in what was a very bad attempt at a serious voice.

Roy snorted. “Gracia, you're lovely, but unfortunately not my type.”

“Unfortunately,” she repeated, unimpressed.

“Roy prefers blondes,” Hughes said, to no one in particular, and with an unsubtle sideways glance at Riza.

An awkward moment of silence passed, in which Roy felt his face growing hot, and Riza's expression did not change. Her ears, however, tinged slightly red.

Hughes looked extremely pleased with himself.

And then the quiet was broken by Elicia pointing at Riza and saying, “Hey, she's blonde! Why don't you get flowers for her?”

Roy hadn't thought it was possible for his best friend to look any more proud of his daughter, but Hughes had proved him wrong yet again as he grinned at Elicia from ear to ear. “What a good question!”

God, if working in Central meant he had to be around Hughes all the time then Roy would have to seriously consider just staying in East City.

Thankfully, Riza came to his rescue.

“He's gotten me flowers plenty of times,” she assured Elicia.

“Oh _has_ he?”

Roy pointedly ignored Hughes, and turned back to Gracia instead. “I wanted to bring you a gift as well. After all, you did bring Elicia into this world.”

“I see how it is.”

Roy glared at his best friend, but Gracia spoke before he could.

“Thank you, Roy, this is very sweet of you. And Maes, maybe you'll get a gift when you spend nine months carrying a child,” she said sweetly, and smelled the flowers. 

“Point taken,” Hughes said, sheepish. “I don't mind. The only gift I need is the two of you.” With that said he scooped Elicia up with one arm and put the other around Gracia's shoulders, embracing them both.

“Is this your way of excusing the fact that your best friend bought me flowers and you didn't?”

“How do you know that I didn't?”

Gracia sighed, but kissed him anyway. “I suppose I don't.”

“Gross,” Elicia protested, and stuck out her tongue. “Can we have cake now, please?”

Roy was inclined to agree with her.

The majority of the people in attendance, extended Hughes family members and friends of Elicia's from school alike, were already crowded around the table, at one end of which was a sizable circular vanilla cake with light pink icing, strawberries, and three candles on top.

Gracia set the hyacinths in an empty vase on the table, and Hughes got a lighter out of one of the cupboards. Elicia had already climbed into the chair at the head of the table and was gazing eagerly at the cake. Upon seeing her father approach with the lighter, however, Elicia shook her head.

“No!” she objected, and pointed directly at Roy. “I want Uncle Roy to light the candles!”

Hughes, affronted, frowned at his daughter, then offered Roy the lighter. “Both my wife and daughter prefer you, apparently.”

“ _No_ ,” Elicia said again. “He has to light the candles with his science magic!”

Roy blinked. “You mean alchemy?”

Elicia nodded. “Daddy says you can set fires just by snapping your fingers! If you use science magic to light the candles then maybe it will help make my birthday wish come true! You have to, Uncle Roy! Pretty please!”

He... didn't really know how to say no to that. And it certainly wouldn't be difficult, but he still looked to Hughes for approval.

His best friend only shrugged in response with a small smile, and took a step back.

Well. All right then.

Roy took his gloves from his pockets and slipped them on. “Everyone step back,” he said. With his precise aim it wasn't very dangerous, but he felt that it added to the drama. “I don't want anyone to get burnt.”

“If you ruin that cake I'll burn _you_ ,” Gracia warned. “I spent hours on it.”

Roy took a slow, deep breath in. He was fully aware of the wide-eyed stare Elicia had fixed on him as well as his Lieutenant's glare. He knew Riza disapproved of him using his flame alchemy for such purposes, but he refused to let the birthday girl down.

So he snapped.

A small orange spark ignited in between his fingers and shot immediately to the candles of the cake, bouncing to the first, then the second, then the third. All of them were lit in the blink of an eye.

Roy's face grew warm again as the other guests burst into applause. Elicia seemed ecstatic, and even Riza looked amused.

“So cool,” Elicia whispered in awe, then grinned as party crackers were pulled and everyone began to sing.

Roy joined in, happily wishing her congratulations at the end of the song, and watched fondly as she blew out the candles on top of her cake.

He was about to ask Elicia what wish she'd chosen to make with the extra 'magic' added by his alchemy, but stopped short when he felt a sharp elbow in his side.

“Ow, _Hughes_ , what the—?”

“Not good with kids, my ass,” Hughes mumbled with a small smile, and nodded to where Elicia was bouncing up and down in her chair as Gracia cut the first slice of cake.

Roy felt himself smiling against his will. “Oh, shut up.”

* * *

Maes plopped down unceremoniously into the seat beside Winry Rockbell, and gave her his best sideways grin. “Not enjoying the festivities?”

He certainly couldn't blame her. She was in a room full of people she didn't know, celebrating the birthday of the three year old whose father had offered that she could stay at his house out of the blue.

“No, it's great, really. Elicia's so happy.” She nodded down at his daughter, who was sitting in Winry's lap and looking, if possible, both hyper and tired at the same time. “Thank you for letting me stay here.”

“No trouble at all. Elicia clearly likes you, and any friend of the Elrics is always welcome here.”

Maes didn't miss the way her smile fell at that.

Hm. He'd thought so. Trying to distract him from the fact that something was clearly bothering her by getting him to talk about Elicia was genius, and he'd almost fallen for it.

But Maes was a genius too, when it came to noticing when people were trying to mask emotions. How else could he have Roy for a best friend?

“If it's not the party, then what _is_ bothering you?” he asked, and Winry startled slightly.

“Nothing,” she said, and then sighed at his unimpressed look before continuing. “I'm just... worried about Ed and Al, I guess.”

“Ah. You really care about them, huh?”

“Of course. I mean, I've known them since we were all really little. We grew up together,” Winry explained, something almost wistful in her voice. “They're like brothers to me.”

“Well, then you must worry about them pretty often, with the way they are,” Maes said, with a laugh. He may not have known the Elrics well for very long himself, but if what Roy told him was anything to go by then those two were causing trouble more often than not.

“That's the truth,” Winry agreed, smiling to herself. “I swear. And if he does come back to visit, it's with his arm busted!”

She looked away, her eyes downcast towards the floor, and her expression turned... sad. It made Maes' own smile fall in confusion.

“And now I'm here. Ed's seriously injured, and Al seems upset with him about... something.” She grew quieter with each word. “But they won't even tell me what _happened_. It's just like when they left Resembool. Even when they're with me, they keep their distance.”

Maes stared at her for a moment. “There wasn't any need to talk about it,” he said finally, trying for his best encouraging smile. “They know you so well, they probably knew you'd understand without them having to say anything.”

Winry just looked more disappointed, though. “But I _don't_ understand. I wish they'd just explain what's going on with them outright, because then maybe I could actually help with _that_ rather than just fixing automail! Some things just don't get across unless you say them out loud.”

In a way, she had a point. Some things just needed to be said. Some things were just good to hear, even _if_ they were already known. 

_“Obviously I trust you. You've never given me a reason not to.”_

But if there weren't actions to support what Roy had said it wouldn't have held any meaning at all. Maes had already known it was true before hearing it.

“What am I going to do with you?” Maes asked, with a shake of his head. He removed his glasses and began polishing them. “Men always let their actions speak louder than their words. When they're in pain, they don't like to burden anyone else if they can help it. They don't want others to worry about them, and so they don't say anything.”

His blurred vision made it easier to get lost in his thoughts. Maes knew perfectly well that _he_ did what he was describing, but even more than that he couldn't help but think of his best friend. Of what had just transpired with Scar, of Roy going for a walk alone in the rain while he compared himself to Shou Tucker in his head. Of how he always pretended he was invincible, and almost never told anyone else when his mind turned down a dark path. Of how he'd nearly let himself be killed.

Maes hadn't spent the same amount of time that Winry or even Roy had with the Elrics, but he knew anyway. The two of them were just the same. He chanced a look back at her.

Winry was staring off into space, her brows furrowed.

“Even so,” Maes continued, and her gaze snapped up. “When those two do finally give in and ask for your help, you make sure that you're there for them. Isn't that enough?”

And it was. He _knew_ it was, because he also had a practical brother who would almost never ask for help. But sometimes he did. And Maes was there for him. They were always there for each other.

“You're very wise,” Winry said quietly. “I... didn't realize you knew Ed and Al that well.”

Maes shrugged. “I don't, really. Though even knowing them for a short time, their behavior makes it easy to gather.”

Winry nodded, though she still looked unsure. “Then where'd you get all of that?”

“I'm the same way, of course. To an extent,” Maes said. “Besides, let's just say... I know someone a lot like them.”

Now with his glasses on again, his eyes scanned the crowd. It didn't take him too long to find Roy— he sat in a chair with his crutches leaning on the wall nearby, his broken leg stretched out in front of him, and a plate of cake in his hands that was already almost entirely gone.

Lieutenant Hawkeye was sitting beside him instead of standing behind, slowly eating a slice of her own. Maes watched her lips move, and though he couldn't hear what she said, he didn't miss the way Roy snorted with laughter and nearly choked on his cake, or how proud of herself Hawkeye looked once he had stopped coughing.

Winry had followed his line of sight, and she looked at the two other soldiers with wide eyes. She seemed as if she were about to speak again, but another voice interrupted her.

“Elicia, lets go play!” Ah. Three of her friends from school. Maes supposed that she could only be entertained by their serious conversation for so long.

“I want down!”

Winry obliged, and almost immediately afterwards one of the three boys grabbed Elicia's hand.

And then all three of them proceeded to begin _arguing_ over her.

Maes watched the back and forth with increasing alarm because, Christ, he knew he'd have to have the dating talk with Elicia some time, but she had just turned _three_. He'd thought he would have a little more time to prepare himself. Or a lot more.

Well, no time like the present. He stood up and, on impulse, took his gun out of his pocket. Not loaded, because contrary to what Roy would have everyone believe he wasn't _actually_ insane, but it got the job done. “Hey, kids! If any of you tries anything funny, you'll pay for it!”

“I think your actions speak a bit too loudly, Mr. Hughes,” Winry hissed, and pulled him back down into his seat, which earned laughter from all the guests, even the children who ran off.

“Better too loudly than not loudly enough,” he said, to which she rolled her eyes.

“Hughes, did you actually just threaten to shoot a bunch of toddlers, or have I had one too many drinks?”

Maes looked up to see Roy and his Lieutenant making their way over, the former grinning and the latter exasperated.

“You haven't drank anything besides water all night, sir,” Hawkeye said before he could answer.

“Ah, yes, and whose fault is _that_?”

“You're injured and can barely walk as is. Even you can't _possibly_ think it would be a good idea to—”

“I have a broken _leg_ , that doesn't mean I suddenly can't hold my liquor at all—”

“All right, all right! Quit it!” Hughes cut them off before their bickering could continue. “You sound more like an old married couple than Gracia and I. Three of the boys were fighting over Elicia! One of them held her hand. I had to intervene.”

All three of them just stared at him.

And then Roy had the audacity to grin. “I can't believe it! She's taking after me! Quite the little heartbreaker, huh?”

If Riza hadn't smacked Roy lightly on the back of the head, Maes was quite sure he'd have done it himself.

“What happened to me being injured?” Roy wondered, rubbing the back of his head with a pout.

“That doesn't excuse behaving like an ass, sir,” Riza said flatly.

“He's always an ass,” Maes agreed.. “Careful there, or you'll be the one who gets shot.” And he held his gun up again for emphasis. “Besides, I wouldn't get too excited. All Elicia would learn from you in that department is how to strike out.”

Hawkeye barely managed to conceal her laughter, and Roy spluttered incoherently for a few moments before his eyes landed on Winry.

“Miss Rockbell?' he asked, brows drawing together in confusion. “What're you doing here?”

“She's staying with me while she's in Central,” Maes replied helpfully, but Roy just rolled his eyes.

“Thank you, Hughes, but I was mostly wondering _why_ she's in Central,” Roy said, then turned back to Winry. “You live in Resembool, correct? I can't imagine you'd come all this way for Elicia's birthday.”

“You're Colonel Mustang! And... and Riza Hawkeye!” Winry said, seeming shocked. “I... you know who I am?”

Hawkeye smiled. “Of course.”

“The Elrics only talk about you all the time,” Roy said, with a nod of agreement. “I believe I have you to thank for patching Edward up every time he destroys his metal limbs. I have to say though, I'm shocked that you recognize _me_.”

“I still remember the day you came to Resembool,” Winry told him. “I didn't want them to go away, but... I should thank you. You've done so much for them. I know they're grateful, even if they won't say it.”

Roy's eyes softened, almost imperceptibly, and Maes found himself grinning as his best friend coughed into his hand.

“Well,” Roy said, clearly unsure of how to respond. “I'm glad to hear it. Now, I'm assuming that if you're here in Central it means that the two of them aren't too far off. Did you not invite them to Elicia's birthday, Hughes? I'm surprised at you.”

“Perhaps he thought inviting both the Elrics and you might be a bit of a hazard, sir,” Hawkeye said, though Maes picked up on the subtle way her eyes shifted to alarm.

“Actually, Ed's still not allowed to leave the hospital just yet, as much as he wants to. And Al didn't want to leave him alone, even things are a little odd with him... but I promised I would wish Elicia a happy birthday from them.”

At Winry's words, Roy's expression closed off, unreadable. Maes winced, and Hawkeye glanced at her Colonel uneasily. They probably should've predicted that this would happen.

“The _hospital_?” Roy echoed, his voice cold. “Why is Edward in the _hospital_?”

Winry realized her mistake. “No, wait, he's fine! Well, not _fine_ fine, he got hurt pretty bad, but he's okay now—”

Roy ignored her, instead whirling around to fix his glare on Maes. “When were you planning on telling me this?”

Maes gulped. “I wasn't, actually.”

Roy's eyes flashed, but before he could continue Riza put a hand on his shoulder.

“Don't be angry with Lieutenant Colonel Hughes. He thought you should know, but I convinced him not to tell you.”

Roy's attention snapped to her. “You _knew_?”

Maes flinched at the continued iciness in his tone, but Hawkeye met Roy's glare with one of her own. “You were just recently in the hospital yourself, sir. I thought any added stress should be avoided,” she said, then hesitated. “Besides, they didn't want to worry you.”

Maes didn't miss the way Winry's eyes widened at that.

“None of that matters in the slightest! I am your superior officer! All of you had absolutely _no_ right to hide this from me!” Roy's voice had risen in volume, to the point where other guests had begun staring. “Now tell me, what _happened_? That's an order!”

Maes sighed. They really had just made it worse by not telling him immediately. Sure, he'd have gone out of his mind with worry, but now he was both worried _and_ livid.

Before he could attempt to simultaneously explain what happened and calm Roy down, Winry spoke.

“You really care about them.” Unlike what Maes had said to her before, it wasn't a question.

And just like that, all the anger drained out of Roy. He slumped down into the nearest chair and buried his head in his hands with a small, shaky laugh. “They're always getting hurt,” he mumbled, barely audible. “ _Why_ are they always getting hurt? Why... why don't they ask for my help?”

“Sounds a lot like someone else I know,” Maes said, an ache in his chest. He met Winry's gaze, and she looked back at Roy in understanding.

“They really are fine,” she assured him. “I'm afraid I don't know what happened either, though.”

Maes sighed as Roy's gaze immediately went back to him. “They snuck into the Fifth Laboratory, apparently.”

Roy sucked in a breath. “The abandoned laboratory that was recently _destroyed_?”

Maes nodded, nervous. “They weren't the ones to destroy it. I... I shouldn't go into detail, I only learned what I know now after the fact, and even just knowing is really dangerous. You should ask Ed about it directly, but what I _can_ tell you is that they went there to try and find out more about the creation of a philosopher's stone. And apparently there are other people who really don't want that information found out. Ed and Al ended up fighting some of them.”

“Wait, they believe the Fifth Laboratory may be connected to the stone? Why? And who were the people they fought?”

Maes shook his head. “I really don't think I should be the one to tell you all that. Just talking about it... makes me feel uneasy.” 

Roy's eyes narrowed, but he didn't press any further. “They really are okay, though? Both of them?”

“Yes, of course,” Maes assured him. “If they were in any serious danger we would've called you right away. Just... by the time I heard they were in the hospital, we already knew Ed was going to be fine, and I didn't want you to worry. I'm sorry.”

“It's fine. If the Elrics didn't want me to find out then I don't blame you. They're very stubborn. Besides, I can't stay mad at either of you, anyway,” Roy said, then turned again to Winry. “What about his automail? All right?”

Winry nodded. “His wasn't even damaged, he just put too much of a strain on it, since he'd just gotten it repaired before, from the fight with Scar.”

Roy's eyes darkened a touch, and some of his relief slipped away. “He never should've been involved in that,” he muttered.

Maes did wish he'd had the guts to say no when the Elrics insisted on being brought along to find Roy, but there simply hadn't been time to argue with them. In the scuffle with Scar, despite how quickly the Ishvalan had fled, he'd managed to break Ed's automail arm before fleeing. Not too badly, but the brothers still had to pay their mechanic a visit.

Roy had felt so guilty when he found out, and Maes would be lying if he said that wasn't part of the reason he didn't tell his best friend about the Fullmetal Alchemist's latest reckless behavior— surely he'd find some way to blame himself, despite the fact that he wasn't even _in_ Central at the time.

But before he could say something to that end, Winry spoke.

“You better not be thinking this is your fault,” she warned, and Roy looked up at her with a shocked expression. “Ed says that you _always_ do that. Do you know how worried he was about you after what happened?” She gestured at Roy's leg.

“What? I don't—”

“He told me that he'd considered staying in East City with only one working arm, just so that he could make sure you were okay,” Winry said. “Ed and Al were both really upset that you'd been hurt, and they both have no regrets about going to help you. So you better not be feeling guilty.”

Roy cast his eyes down. “Even so, they shouldn't have been anywhere near that fight. It's my responsibility to look after them. And it's because he broke his arm the first time that now—”

“It's because I left out a screw!” Winry snapped, with a scowl. “I messed up on the repairs, and now Ed's in the hospital because he couldn't fight as well as he would've been able to! If you're going to blame someone, blame _me_ , for crying out loud! Or Scar, or the people who destroyed the Fifth Laboratory! You weren't even here! There's nothing you could've done because _you're_ injured, too! Ed always tells me you're an idiot, but I just thought he was being dramatic.”

Roy stared blankly back at her for several moments. “I'm a military officer,” he said finally, but his voice was more surprised than angry.

“Well, I'm not in the military, so you have no authority over me,” Winry replied, then crossed her arms and turned her head away.

Maes couldn't help it— he laughed. By the way Hawkeye's shoulders were shaking she was amused as well. Even Roy smiled.

“I guess I can see why you get along with the Elrics so well,” he said good-naturedly. Winry said nothing, but her face turned bright red. “I suppose I'll go to the hospital before I return to East City, then. Get the whole story.”

Maes hesitated. “Don't do so lightly. You'll be deliberately sticking your nose somewhere it doesn't belong.” But he knew nothing he could say would stop Roy. “Just... be careful.”

Roy smirked. “I'm _always_ careful.”

The look he got in response from not just Maes, but Riza and Winry as well, had them all laughing again.

* * *

Roy stared at nothing, his hands folded in front of him, shielding all but his eyes from view. Maes had gone off to do his rounds speaking to the other guests, and Riza was talking with Winry. He'd excused himself from that conversation because really, he needed a minute to himself.

He hated to admit it when Hughes was right, and so he never would, but Roy would be lying if he said that going from being confined to his apartment with only Havoc or Hawkeye for company to a crowded place wasn't slightly overwhelming. Maybe he should be grateful that he still had some time to kill before going back to work.

But that wasn't why he'd isolated himself. Roy was still trying to wrap his mind around what he'd been told.

The Elrics had made some sort of breakthrough, that much was clear. Progress towards getting their bodies back? Most likely— Hughes had said something about the philosopher's phone. But then why was everyone acting like they'd found out something horrible? There had to be more to it.

Maybe they were all worried about the mysterious people the Elrics had run into? Roy knew nothing about the attack as Hughes refused to tell him, but if both of the Elrics were relatively unharmed then whoever they were up against couldn't be _that_ dangerous, surely not enough to warrant Hughes' unease. And course there would be other people who wanted a stone. Had the Elrics not realized that would be an issue?

He'd have to talk to Edward about it directly, that much was certain. Dangerous or no, Roy wanted to know what was going on.

And besides, he had to make sure the brothers were _actually_ okay. For himself.

“Uncle Roy!”

His head snapped up, surprised out of his thoughts by Elicia running towards him with a grin brighter than the sun.

 _Just like her father's_. Roy found himself smiling, too. “Elicia. What can I do for you?”

“I brought you a flower!” Elicia said, holding up a hyacinth from the bouquet he'd given Gracia.

“Well, it's not my birthday. Aren't you supposed to be receiving the gifts, not giving them?”

Elicia pouted. “But you looked so sad! I thought maybe the magic flower could help cheer you up.” She paused for a minute, then added, “Besides, I don't know when your birthday is.”

Roy took the purple hyacinth sprig from her gingerly, and twirled it around in his fingers. He couldn't help but be amused at the fact she still thought the flowers were magic just because he'd pulled a small slight of hand trick. “...Thank you. It's beautiful.”

He put the stem behind his ear, which made Elicia all but squeal with excitement. “That looks so pretty!”

Roy nearly plucked the flower out of his own hair and put it in hers instead, but then he had a better idea.

“Elicia, could you go grab some more flowers for me from the bouquet? We won't need that many, and I'm sure your mother won't mind, but ask her first just to be sure.”

Elicia eagerly did as he asked, and returned with a handful of the purple and blue blossoms. “Do we get to wear all of these?”

God, Roy's heart was just _melting_ wasn't it?

“These ones are all for you,” Roy said, and carefully took them from her. “Elicia, would you like a flower crown?”

She tilted her head to the side. “What's that?”

Oh, this was going to be even better than he'd thought. “Don't worry, I'll show you.” And he began weaving the hyacinths together, making sure to keep the actual flowers facing outwards so they would hide the stems from view.

Elicia watched him do it, her green eyes huge and sparkling. “Are you doing more al... al-kuh-me?”

Roy let out a small laugh, and shook his head. “No. I learned how to do this _way_ before I learned alchemy. I grew up with a lot of sisters, after all. I haven't made one in years, so if it's a little lopsided, then I'm sorry.”

“I wish _I_ had a sister,” Elicia told him. “Is that how you learned al... al... science magic, too?”

“From my sisters?” Roy clarified, and when Elicia nodded, he shook his head. “No, I learned it from... ah, well the only way to learn how to do alchemy is from an alchemy teacher. Someone who knows how to do it already.”

“Oh.” Elicia seemed put off for about two seconds before she perked up again. “Then could you teach _me_?”

Roy nearly fell out of his chair. “ _What_?”

“How to do your science magic! Like the candles!”

Roy blinked. Elicia stared up at him, and— really, how on _Earth_ was he supposed he say no to that face? On her birthday, no less? “Ask me again in about ten years,” he said finally. “It's very dangerous.”

“If it's dangerous, then how come you get to do it?” Elicia asked with a frown, and then poked his cast. “Is that why you have this?”

“Well...”

In a way, yes, but he didn't know how to explain to Elicia that his alchemy had made him the target of a murderer.

“I... fell,” he settled for instead. Not technically a lie. He _had_ fallen down that staircase... after Scar destroyed it. With alchemy. “Uh, because of my alchemy?”

Elicia squinted up at him. “That doesn't sound true.”

Oh, brilliant. Along with his eyes and smile, she'd also inherited her father's ability to see through Roy's bullshit.

“My daddy says you broke your leg because you were being stupid,” Elicia informed him. “He says that you're stupid a lot.”

“He says that a lot or I act stupid a lot?”

“Both.”

“Hm.” Roy wasn't sure whether he should be amused or offended. “What _else_ does your father say about me?”

Elicia seemed to consider this for a moment. “He says that you scare him.”

Something in Roy's heart just... fell. Dropped right down to the floor. “Oh,” he forced out. He... shouldn't have let himself be surprised by that. He was a monster, wasn't he? Of course Maes would be scared of—

“Yeah, he says the stuff you do scares him a lot,” Elicia continued, with a nod. “Which is weird. Daddy doesn't get scared easily, but he was really _really_ scared when you broke your leg.”

“ _Oh_.”

“Yeah! He worries about you a _lot_. Maybe your job really is that dangerous,” Elicia said. “But it looks so fun!”

Roy scoffed. “It _can_ be fun, yes. But mostly boring. There's much more paperwork involved with being an alchemist than you'd expect.”

Elicia wrinkled her nose at that, so Roy pressed on, hoping to further dissuade her.

“Forget me, imagine if _you_ had a job that made your father worry all the time. As an alchemist, your life would constantly be in jeopardy. He wouldn't be able to handle that,” Roy said. “Plus, if I was the one to teach you? Hughes would kill me.”

“Why would he kill you?” Elicia asked with a frown. “You're his best friend. He cares about you too much to ever hurt you.”

Roy froze, and momentarily stopped weaving the now almost complete flower crown.

The sheer honesty in her voice when she said that... like it was simply just another fact of life. As if it made perfect sense that someone like Hughes, someone who was essentially a ray of sunshine personified, would give a shit about someone like _him._ A murderer. A freak of nature. A _monster_.

She'd said it so confidently while Roy still couldn't quite believe it himself.

“I suppose you're right,” Roy said softly. “Though I cant imagine why.”

“Probably because you're stupid,” Elicia said matter-of-factly.

Roy couldn't help but laugh at that. “Probably,” he admitted, then handed her the flower crown. “Here. It's finished.”

Elicia took it from him, beaming, and immediately put it on. “How do I look?”

The light shades of purple and blue fit together nicely, and he'd made the crown so that the small blossoms were visible from all directions and shielded the green stem almost entirely from view. It fit perfectly on her head, snug with her two pigtails sticking up and out of it.

“Like a princess,” Roy said, and he meant it.

She giggled happily, and pointed at the flower in his own hair. “What does that make _you_?”

Roy considered this. “The fire breathing dragon, perhaps?”

“No, you're not mean enough to be the dragon.”

Roy... wasn't sure whether to take that as an insult or a compliment.

“Ooh, you should be the court jester!”

Well, _that_ one was definitely an insult. “Excuse me? My alchemy is not a parlor trick.”

Elicia blinked. “Then how come you use it as one?”

“Holy—” _shit_. How had she become such a master of snark in such a short time? Roy had no doubt that her father was to blame. “I mean, I don't know if you're qualified to be a princess, after all. Princesses have to be polite.”

“Then being a princess is boring,” Elicia told him. “So I'll be something else. Can I.... can I keep the flower crown though?”

“Of course, it's yours,” Roy said softly. “Say, Elicia, do you remember what kind of flowers I said those were?”

“No... but you said they meant charm, right? For Mommy!”

“Well... yes, I did say that. Those are hyacinths, and they've always been my favorite,” Roy told her. “Would you like to know why?”

Elicia nodded eagerly.

“It's because they have so many different purposes, so many different meanings,” Roy began. “They can be used in medicine, to heal people. They can also be poisonous, or made into glue. It depends on what part you use. And they come in so many different colors, each having a different meaning. My Aunt Chris... she'd buy a whole bunch of them sometimes, and have a practical rainbow in the— back home. My sisters and I would make flower crowns like the one you're wearing now.”

Roy had expected it to bore her, but Elicia's eyes were huge and sparkling as ever. “ _How_ many different colors?”

He laughed. “Well, let's see. Purple and blue, like yours. The pinks, reds, and whites are probably the most popular. And yellow and orange, too. I don't know which one I like best, but I think the purple and blue make for a nice combination, don't you?”

“They're really pretty! And they're both for... ladylike charm?”

Roy hesitated. “...No. Pink and red hyacinths represent those sorts of things more. Romance. Playfulness. But the meaning of these flowers... it's a bit of a secret.”

And Elicia just... pouted. Again. _Crap_. “What do they mean?” He opened is mouth to protest, but she spoke again before he could. “It's my birthday, Uncle Roy! You have to tell me, because it's my _birthday_.”

“I suppose you've got me there,” Roy said, with a sigh. “The... the blue hyacinths mean 'constancy' and 'sincerity.' They represent honesty and, in a sense, always being there for others. Just like I'm always here for you and your family.” A lump formed in his throat at those words that he decided to ignore. “Or at least, how I want to be from here on out.”

Elicia waited. Roy swallowed.

“And the purple represent 'sorrow,' or just an apology. Regret would be the best word, I suppose,” Roy told her. “They mean sorry for acting without thinking, typically, due to the myth of how hyacinths came to exist.”

“Why did you give mommy sad flowers?” Elicia asked, with a frown. “What're you sorry about?”

“Ah— for always causing your family trouble, I guess,” Roy said. “I make a lot of rash decisions, and I know I shouldn't. It's how I end up in situations like this.” He gestured to his broken leg. “Flowers won't atone for how much of a burden I've been, but they're a pretty good start. At least, I hope they can be. What do you think, Elicia?”

“I think that flowers are supposed to make people happy, so you should stop being so sad. It's _my_ birthday party, and you're not allowed to be sad.”

Roy couldn't help but laugh. The logic of toddlers really was hard to argue with. “I guess I'll work on that.”

Elicia nodded determinedly, then started as if she'd just realized something, and— hell, being around her almost made Roy want kids. That smile truly was a force to be reckoned with. Her eyes were hopeful and bright. “Oh, oh! Will you be happier when your leg is all better?”

“Of course, I think my mood will improve exponentially when I can properly walk. I feel like Fullmetal,” Roy muttered, then winced. “Er, don't tell him I said that. But it's true. Just the broken leg is a hassle I've grown tired of in a very short amount of time. I feel like I understand him a little better now.” Roy shuddered at the fondness that had creeped into his voice unbidden. “ _Definitely_ don't tell him I said that.”

“But it's okay! Your leg is going to get better really soon! I know because I wished!”

“Well, not _really_ soon, but it won't— what?”

Elicia was still grinning at him. Roy felt a bit like he was staring into the sun, and he wanted to look away. “I couldn't think of anything else I wanted for my birthday!” Elicia explained, overjoyed. “So I wished for you to get better!”

And Roy was so abruptly filled with gratitude and love for this small, innocent child who knew nothing of all the horrible things he'd done, all the lives he'd destroyed. She only knew him as her father's best friend, her Uncle Roy who hardly ever visited and who she had unwavering faith in all the same. Who she'd apparently wanted so badly to get better that she'd actually _wished_ for it.

To Roy the country, the world even, was a cruel, dark place. He knew it firsthand, after all that he'd not only seen, but _done_. And yet...

And yet when Elicia Hughes was smiling at him like that, with her eyes and smile big and bright, he remembered why he wanted to change that. He hoped against hope that he could. When she looked at him like that, he couldn't imagine giving up.

For a moment, he had no idea what to say.

“Elicia, do me a favor?”

“Hm?”

“Don't ever grow up,” Roy said, his voice soft. “Stay just as you are. You're... you're perfect like this.”

She blinked. “But Uncle Roy, that's silly! I'm only tw— three! If I didn't grow up, I wouldn't get to have more birthday parties! It'd be too boring.”

Before Roy could lie and say that growing up was boring too— it wasn't boring, just not a good experience generally speaking —someone else spoke.

“Well, this is a surprise,” Hughes said, looking so pleased it was absurd. He pulled a chair from the nearby table to sit beside the two of them. “I can't imagine you two would have a lot in common to discuss, but I suppose I'm mistaken. What've you been talking about?”

Roy didn't even have time to open his mouth before Elicia piped up.

“Uncle Roy is really sad!”

While that was... a rather accurate nutshell of their conversation, she really didn't have to just _say_ it like that.

The smile dropped of of Hughes' face, and he turned so abruptly to Roy that the latter averted his gaze. “...What?”

“I'm fine,” Roy said, though he still couldn't meet his best friend's eye.

“You're clearly not.” Hughes' voice was only a little more than a whisper, and the concerned tone made Roy regret ever coming to this party. “Roy, did something else happen since—”

“I'm _fine_ ,” Roy insisted. “It's Elicia's birthday, don't worry about me, I'm— I should go soon, anyway. Train to catch and all that.”

Roy tried to shift himself into a standing position while easing his weight onto the chair. The ease with which Hughes could gently push him back into the seat was more than a little irritating.

Hughes then, evidently realizing he'd get nothing from Roy, turned back to his daughter. “What did he say to make you think he's sad?”

“He looked really sad, so I came over. I was telling Uncle Roy how you worry about him a lot,” Elicia began bluntly, and Hughes' face heated up a fraction. “And then the flowers!”

“Flowers?” Maes echoed, looking between the two of them in confusion. His eyes brightened with understanding when they landed first on the wreath of hyacinths in his daughter’s hair, and then the single purple blossom stuck behind Roy’s ear. “Ah, I see. You both look very pretty, Elicia.”

Elicia just looked frustrated by the compliment. “ _No_ ,” she insisted. “Uncle Roy lied about the charm. They’re sad flowers.”

Hughes looked back to Roy, seeming even more confused, and Roy sighed.

“I... the flowers, the hyacinths I got, they don’t actually mean ‘ladylike charm,’” Roy explained reluctantly. “The blue are for sincerity, and the purple are for... well, regrets.”

Maes looked at him for a moment, his expression unreadable, then turned to his daughter. “Elicia, could you go and play with your friends for a bit?” he asked, in a quiet voice. “Daddy needs to talk to Uncle Roy about something really important.”

Elicia nodded brightly, and scampered off to go be with the other children still at the party. Her father turned to Roy, hurt in his eyes.

“Roy,” he began, voice soft. “I thought we'd talked about this. You have nothing to apologize for, what happened in Ishval was _not—_ ”

“I know, I know,” Roy said, waving him off. “You've given me this speech before. And while I don't completely agree with you still, surprisingly that's not what this is about.”

“Then what—?”

“Why do you think I gave the flowers to your family? I'm apologizing to  _you_ , Hughes. To all of you, really.”

Hughes just stared at him. Then, “That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Roy, what on Earth do you think you have to apologize to  _me_ for?”

“It's like I told Elicia,” Roy began. “The purple flowers are an apology for rash behavior and thinking. You've had to save me from my reckless actions far too many times, my encounter with Scar just being the most recent one of these. And yet, you had the nerve to apologize to  _me_ after saving my life for not noticing that I was hurting when I had refused to tell you. The blue are more of a promise. I want to be there for you, Hughes, just like you have been for me. You've supported me in my crazy dream since Ishval... hell, since the  _academy_ , and now that I'm going to be working in Central I think it's time I returned the favor.”

“Roy,” Maes said, clearly confused. “You already support me. You've saved  _my_ life countless times, too. I honestly have no idea where this is coming from.”

“I don't mean just literally helping each other in combat, it's so much more than that,” Roy attempted to explain. Why was he only good with words when it didn't matter much? Why couldn't he articulate what he wanted to say? “You're the best friend I could ever have asked for, but what you said when I was in the hospital made me think— when have I ever encouraged you like that? And it's not just you, either... the Elrics, too, I've never actually told them how important they were to me, and if what I've learned tonight is any indication, I haven't been looking after them properly. I need to do more, going forward, for the people I care about. If something happens to me or, God forbid, one of  _you_ and I never got to tell you? I wouldn't be able to live with myself.”

Hughes was smiling at him now. A small, fragile thing. “Roy, you don't  _have_ to say it. Not to me at least, I already know how important I am to you.”

“Well, even if the words are obsolete, that doesn't excuse me not showing it,” Roy said, undeterred. “We're going to be working together very soon, and hopefully I'll be able to prove it to you then. But in the mean time, in a few days I'm going to be returning to Central, to help the Elric brothers with their research in your stead.”

Maes' smile dropped off his face. “Roy, I told you already, it's... it's dangerous. It's certainly not something we're supposed to be sticking our noses in; the very knowledge they're looking for could paint a target on all of our backs. I know you said you'd talk to Edward about it, but... honestly, I'd feel a lot better if I knew you weren't involved. I don't want you getting in over your head.”

“If it's dangerous, then  _you_ shouldn't be looking into it,” Roy pointed out, and continued when it seemed like Hughes would protest. “As always, I appreciate the concern, but I wish you would spare even an ounce of the worry you spend on me for yourself.”

“That is the most  _hypocritical_ thing you've ever said, and you have said a lot of—”

“Hughes,” Roy cut him off, raising an eyebrow. “If it's really that bad, you have every right to be alarmed. But I'm not going to change my mind. I'm simply better suited to help them than you are. I'm not currently working, and I won't be for at least another week due to my leg and the doctors' stubborn insistence that I have plenty of recovery time. Besides working full time, you also have a wife and daughter that need your time and attention. You shouldn't have to sacrifice that, not when I could easily look into things in your place.”

“But I promised I would help the Elrics with their research,” Hughes said. “And I want to do whatever I can for those two.”

“I do appreciate your fondness for them, but the fact remains that they're my responsibility,” Roy told him. “If anyone should be helping them, it's me. I'm the one who got them into this whole mess, aren't I?”

“You know that's not fair,” Hughes protested. He had been the first to question Roy, when he'd brought two children into the military. But ever since Hughes had found out the truth about what had happened to the brothers, he'd been adamant that Roy had done nothing but help them. “You turned their lives around. You heard Winry, I'm sure their grateful to you. I don't know Edward half as well as you do, and even I can see the resentment is an act.”

“Be that as it may, I'm going to help them,” Roy said. He would not back down. “You should be able to focus on your life, your family. I don't have any of those obligations. When you think about it like that, it's almost safer for me to help them, if whatever they're researching really is that dangerous. And what's more, it's related to alchemy, which is probably the one thing I know more about than you. Besides, it's not like I have anything better to do, right?” He gestured at his leg, earning a frown from Hughes.

“If you're sure...”

“I'm positive. Like I said, I want to start doing more for you, Hughes. I want this to be a two-way street. I want to be someone who deserves to be called your best friend, who deserves to have you for mine. Hell, I'll be in Central soon, I'll even babysit Elicia if you and Gracia ever want to have a date night. Whatever you need. I want you to be able to depend on me, like I know I can always depend on you,” Roy told him, to which Hughes grinned.

“Babysitting?” he echoed. “Roy, you really do love me!” With those words, Roy was powerless to stop his best friend from enveloping him in a crushing hug.

“Oh, quit it, you bastard,” Roy grumbled, even as he returned the gesture.  _Of course I do._ “Don't make me take it all back.”

When he had finally forced Hughes to let go, Riza was approaching them from where she'd been talking with Winry. She seemed reluctant to interrupt their conversation, but nevertheless said, “Sir, we should get going if you want to visit Edward at the hospital before the train ride home.”

Roy nodded. “Of course, you're right, Lieutenant. As usual.” He turned to Hughes. “We should be going. I... thank you for having us. And for... for everything else.”

“You're always welcome,” Hughes replied, still grinning. “In fact, since you'll be working in Central soon, I'm determined to force you to stop by more often. My daughter practically worships you, and my wife loves to have you for a guest, as do I.”

“I suppose I can fit you all into my busy schedule on occasion,” Roy said vaguely, then smiled back at him. “Sincerely, I would... really appreciate that. I'm looking forward to being able to work together again. I've missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” Hughes said. “And of course, this is one step closer to your goal.”

“Don't think I've forgotten. You're still behind me?” With this question, he looked at the both of them. They nodded without a moment of hesitation.

“You can always count on me, buddy,” Hughes said.

“At this point, do you even have to ask?” Riza agreed.

Roy nodded back. “Very well. We'll be on our way then, Hughes. Tell Gracia and Elicia I said to take care, and you as well. I'll be seeing you.”

“ _You_ telling  _me_ to take care is yet another completely hypocritical statement,” Hughes complained. “But yes, and I'll see you soon. Don't do anything stupid.”

“I'll do my best, just because you asked so nicely,” Roy said, with a snort. “Goodbye, Hughes.”

“Goodbye, Roy.”

Roy took up his crutches once more, and headed out the door, Riza following just a step behind him at his side. “To the hospital, then, sir?”

Roy nodded. “I need to speak with Fullmetal.”

* * *

Maes sunk onto the couch beside his wife with a happy, if exhausted, sigh. “Finally got the birthday girl to bed,” he told Gracia. “And now I feel like I should follow her example, even though we still have to clean things up. Why did you let her have all that cake? She already has too much energy on a regular day, but with all that sugar she was practically bouncing off the walls.”

“It's her birthday, Maes. Just for today, I figured she should be allowed to eat all the cake she wants. Besides, you know she would've been that hyper anyway. Don't blame  _me_ .”

“Fine, fine, I take it back,” he said, and raised his hands in surrender. “Your cake was absolutely heavenly, therefore I cannot fault it, or you, for anything. Just promise me that all the leftover slices will go to _me_ , not her. It took her five whole picture books to calm down enough to fall asleep. _Five._ ” He shook his head. “I don't know if I can go through that again.”

“You poor baby,” Gracia deadpanned, and patted his shoulder lightly. “But I'm afraid I can't promise that, since there's no leftover cake to speak of.”

Maes let out a slightly exaggerated gasp. “ _What_? No leftover cake? None at all? What am I supposed to bring to work for lunch?!”

Gracia seemed entirely unimpressed by his theatrics, even if his reaction wasn't by any means completely fake. He really had been planning to bring cake to work all week. After all, there was so much of it... or at least, there had been.

“Something healthier, I would hope,” she scolded lightly, then shrugged. “But again, it's not my fault. Your best friend seemed to be the biggest offender. I believe I saw him go back for seconds at least twice, possibly more. He was rather sneaky about it.”

Maes blinked. He... actually hadn't expected that, but then again, he shouldn't have been surprised. He'd always known Roy had a sweet tooth, ever since their academy days. The memory of the first time he exchanged words with the younger student brought a smile to his face— Roy decided he'd use every possible opportunity to outdo Maes after the latter had taken the last slice of quiche in the cafeteria. Every day following that, Maes was grateful for Roy's unparalleled pettiness.

“Well, I can't be too mad then, I suppose,” Maes conceded, with a small shake of his head. “I'm really glad he could make it.”

“Me too,” Gracia agreed. “He made Elicia so happy.” She paused. “Roy is... he's going to be working in Central soon, isn't that right?”

Maes nodded, unable to keep his smile from growing just a little bit wider. “Yeah, he is.”

Gracia's eyes softened, and she leaned her head on his shoulder. “I love seeing the two of you together. He really brings out a whole different side of you.” She tapped a finger to her chin, thinking for a moment. “You know, if he's going to be living close by, I think he'd better stop by for dinner at least once a week, don't you?”

Maes turned his head to look at her in surprise. “You're serious?”

“Well, of course. He's important to you, Elicia would clearly love having him around more, and I think he's perfectly polite. Besides, I worry sometimes. A man his age, living all by himself? He probably hardly ever has a decent, sit-down meal.”

“He's a better cook than you'd think, but it's true he has no idea how to take care of himself,” Maes admitted. If only Roy could see how much he'd benefit by just proposing to Hawkeye already. “Still, he'd never agree to it. You know Roy, he's somehow has it in his head that he's a burden on everyone. He'd feel like he was imposing.”

“He wouldn't be,” Gracia said, a bit crossly. “If once a week is too often for him, then fine. But I'm going to have to insist on twice a month. He'll be living in Central, so he doesn't have any valid excuses. I simply won't take no for an answer.”

“I couldn't agree more,” Maes said, then had a sudden thought. “Hang on. Roy's coming back to Central in a day or two to help Ed and Al with their research, in theory. What if he stayed in the guest room?”

“Well, with any luck we're going to have to start thinking about turning the guest room into a nursery,” Gracia reminded him, which just sent a jolt of warmth right to Maes' heart. He always knew he'd wanted to have more than one kid, and with Elicia now three years old and growing more every day, it really did seem like the perfect time to try and make their family even bigger. So, as much as Maes might entertain the idea, Roy couldn't just move in with them. He could, however, potentially stay with them until he was able to find an apartment of his own. Or at least while he looked into things for the Elrics. “But Winry should be leaving around the same time, since I believe she and the Elrics are leaving Central in the next few days. I wouldn't mind if you extended the offer.”

“I doubt he'll say yes, but I do appreciate you being open to the idea,” Hughes told her. “About Winry, though... did it seem to you like she had a good time?”

“I think so,” Gracia said. “Why do you ask?”

“It's just that I think she had a lot on her mind. She was telling me about how Ed won't tell her when something is bothering him, and I tried to explain to her that sometimes men are just like that. They don't want to bother anyone else with their problems; they don't want to seem weak. They trust her just the same, but that'll be more evident in their actions rather than their words. But it still seemed to be bothering her.”

“Maybe I should've talked to her about it,” Gracia mused. “I know you trust me, I'm your wife after all. But that doesn't mean you want to talk to me about everything, nor should I expect you to. For example, when you wake up from a nightmare, you show you that you trust me by letting me ground you, rather than telling me what it was you saw. Because you don't want to burden me with it, right? Sometimes I wish I knew so I could help you, but it doesn't make me doubt your reliance on me.”

Gracia had gotten it exactly right. He still had occasional nightmares about the horrors he'd faced in Ishval— and honestly, he was sure that there every soldier that had served there did, Roy included. If him waking up in the middle of the night woke Gracia up, too, he simply had to tell her that he'd had a nightmare, and she would be drawing him close in the next instant. He never elaborated, and she never asked him to do so, because she knew he didn't want to repeat it, whether it was a memory or some twisted version of reality with more blood, and death, and—

His thoughts were spiraling. Maes hadn't brought this up to talk about himself, even if maybe he could stand to open up a little more.

“That might've helped her,” he agreed, though he wasn't sure if he wanted someone as young as Winry to have to think about Ishval, especially since he knew her parents were doctors who'd died in the war. “I tried my best, though. After all, I have experience on both sides. Being the person who doesn't want to burden others as well as trying to convince someone they're not a burden, I mean.”

“Ah,” Gracia said, understanding dawning on her face. “It reminded you of Roy.”

“It baffles me sometimes how alike he and Edward are, especially when Roy was younger. Same hotheaded, reckless tendencies, but they're both practically indestructible geniuses when they can stay calm enough to be. And they have the same natural talent for alchemy, as well as notoriously bad luck,” Hughes listed, counting on his fingers. “You'd think they would get along better.”

“And Edward not wanting to worry others with his problems, not even his closest friend? That reminded you of Roy, too?”

Maes nodded. “I'm... I'm worried about him. I think he's been getting better since he fought with Scar, especially from the conversation we had today, but... still, I never want him to feel like he's a  _burden_ . He's never been a burden, not even when he's being a deliberate pain in the ass. I know I talked to him about it after he got hurt, tried to make him realize that he's done so much good and that so many people, myself included, would be lost without him, but.. I don't know. Sometimes I think about all the stuff he said after his fight with Scar, and I wonder if I can ever really make him stop believing that about himself.

“Like, just take today,” he continued. “You know I gave him that whole spiel about wanting to be a better friend, and be there to support him more since he hates himself so much that he apparently thought up and  _dying_ might be a good idea? Well, he brought that up today, and then said that  _ he  _ hasn't been a good friend either! He said all these things about wanting to do more for me, when he's the one who was struggling and I had no idea! He offered to  _ babysit,  _ for Christ's sake. Roy Mustang, Flame Alchemist and soon to be Fuhrer of our country, offered to watch our daughter so we could have a date night, Gracia.”

“Well, I wouldn't mind that.”

Maes considered this. “Me neither, but the point is that Roy still seems convinced he's a terrible person. And I have absolutely no idea how to go about making him believe otherwise, apart from what I've already told him.” He paused. “Maybe I'd better write on his forehead in permanent ink. Or pay Edward to use alchemy to—”

“Maes,” Gracia interrupted, a small smile on her face. “Did you ever consider that maybe you already helped him, and he simply wants to return the favor? You've said already, Roy isn't as big on words as he is on action. It seems he tried his best to say how grateful he was today, but that just won't cut it. He needs some sort of grand gesture to show you how important you are to him.”

Maes wrinkled his nose. “I'd much rather do without the grand gestures, if what I've heard from Hawkeye is any indication. Apparently, him sending her flowers all the time is no joke. Once, he—”

“ _ Maes _ ,” Gracia cut him off again. “The two of you are ridiculous. Let Roy do something nice for you, it doesn't mean the world is going to end. He's your best friend, can't you just let him be that without worrying at every turn?” He raised his eyebrows. “I realize now that asking you not to worry is as difficult as asking Elicia to stay away from cake. But it's true. I really do think what you said got through to him. He seemed much happier today than at least  _ I've _ seen him in a long time, and I'm glad the two of you had such a good conversation. I don't think wanting to be there for you means more than just that, but if you really are concerned about him still... well, he'll return to Central soon enough. You'll be able to keep a closer eye on him.”

“You're right,” Maes said with a sigh, and rubbed at his eyes. “I'm probably overthinking it. It's sweet that he wants to make an even bigger effort to be there for me, and I shouldn't worry this means he's doubting himself again, at least not until he gives me a real sign. Of course, you're right.”

“I'm always right,” Gracia said, and stood up from the couch. “Now come on. If we let the food sit out, it's going to go bad.”

* * *

Roy pushed open the hospital door. He'd seen Fullmetal hospitalized enough times to know that the kid didn't want to be fussed over, so he'd already done his best to reign in the worry and thoroughly prepare himself for what might've waited on the other side. Roy himself didn't like hospitals, and he knew the Elrics weren't fond of them either. But then again, who was?

He had entirely been expecting to find Edward confined to his bed, half-asleep at the already pretty late hour, and he had come with the intention of leaving quickly. It wouldn't do either of them any good if Roy were to stay long. He knew Fullmetal would hate being seen like that, and for Roy seeing the kid injured in any way shape or form was never a good feeling.

However, when he pushed open the door, he was shocked to find the room... empty. The only signs that it was occupied at all were the unmade sheets and the half eaten dinner tray laying on top of them. He exchanged a look with Riza, then turned to the nurse who had led them there.

“Is this not Edward Elric's room?” he asked.

The nurse simply stared at the empty bed, then sighed. “We  _ told _ him he needed his rest,” she muttered, then shook her head in a show of exasperation that Roy knew too well. “You might want to check the roof. I'll take you there.”

“The roof better have elevator access,” Roy grumbled, as he followed her once again on his crutches.

The roof did, indeed, have elevator access; patients were permitted on the roof, as it had a railing, and plenty patients-- confined to wheelchairs or no --were thankfully able to enjoy the fresh air. 

Roy eyed his still useless leg. When he became Fuhrer, he'd have to see about making military headquarters more accessible. Plus, having to walk up all those stairs every day, even with two fully functional legs, was a sin.

And sure enough, the two Elric brothers were on the roof.

_ Sparring. _

“Come on, Al!” Fullmetal was saying. “You're going easy on me! Don't think I can't tell! With my injuries, you definitely could've taken me down by now.”

“Yes, but I really would prefer not to injure you  _ more _ , brother.”

Roy had come in peace, wanting to offer to help the boys, not chew them out for something they'd no doubt already gotten scolded for. In fact, he'd wanted to start off this conversation with an apology for not being there for them when he could have. But what came out of his mouth instead was, “What the  _ hell _ ?”

Edward, who had been in the middle of throwing another punch, lost his balance and nearly fell on his face, only for Alphonse to catch him by the arm at the last second and haul him up. Roy winced. In retrospect, surprising them had probably not been the best decision.

“ _ Colonel _ ?” Edward asked, voice loud and incredulous, as if he couldn't believe Roy had the audacity to show up. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing!” Roy shot back. “Not only did you not tell me that you were badly injured and landed yourself in a hospital, but when I find out from your friend Miss Rockbell and decide to visit, I discover you on the roof! And sparring, of all things! Fullmetal, have you gone absolutely insane?!”

Edward simply scowled back at him, and then turned to his brother and said, “See, this is why I told you we shouldn't tell him. This lecture that we're getting, right now? Completely your fault.” 

Despite being an empty suit of armor, Alphonse still managed to look affronted. “ _ My _ fault? I didn't tell him, just like you asked.”

“That's another thing,” Roy said, whirling on him. “I expect this type of stupidity from your brother, Alphonse, but from you? I'm disappointed.”

“If both of you are angry with each other, I'd like to be left out of it, but it was his idea not to tell you. You're still injured, and we thought you were in East City,” Al said flatly, then turned back to Ed. “You don't have to be angry at him. I'm sure he's just worried about you. I'm going to return to your room, now, and order you another tray since you haven't eaten enough. Good to see you, Colonel.”

“I think that's an excellent idea, Alphonse,” Riza said, with a small smile on her face. “I'll join you. I trust the two of you can find your way back downstairs alone in a bit?” Without waiting for an answer, she shut the door in Roy's face.

“One minute she says I can't be left alone without a bodyguard, and the next she abandons me several stories high with someone who is liable to start a fistfight with any given person at any given time,” Roy huffed, then turned back to Edward, who was still decidedly frowning at him. He sighed. “How are you, Fullmetal?” He'd thought about asking about him and Alphonse, as he remembered Winry saying things had seemed odd between them ever since the Fifth Laboratory, then thought better of it. Edward wouldn't want to talk about it, and if the two of them were sparring it meant things were probably fine... even if Alphonse pulling his punches was unusual.

“Peachy,” the kid replied sourly, and well, yes, Roy really should've expected that. Now that he looked closer he could see bandages tied around Edward's head, and a visible lump of them from under his thin hospital shirt. “You don't look so hot yourself, Colonel Bastard,” Ed continued, then snickered at his own pun.

Roy rolled his eyes. “Oh, very clever. How long did it take you to think of that one?”

“Not long. Jokes at your expense just come very easily to me,” Edward said with a grin, then plopped down on the ground. “Are you just going to stand there?”

Roy repressed a groan, and instead of attempting to maneuver himself onto the ground with his leg as it was, he simply sat in the bench nearest to him and fixed Ed with what he hoped was an unimpressed glare. “My leg is not exactly at its best.”

Edward shrugged. “Yeah, well, join the fucking club, I guess.” He paused for a moment, then looked back up at Roy. “Do you realize-- that's one of the reasons I didn't want you to know I was here, you know that right? You're still a mess from getting your ass handed to you by Scar.”

“That's certainly a way of putting it, and though not entirely wrong, I'm not sure I see your point.”

Ed was glaring at the ground, now. “You're always doing stupid shit like this— worrying about everyone but yourself. I knew that you'd freak if you found out I got hurt; you were more worried about my arm than your leg after that day, and the bone in your leg was  _ visible _ . Like, poking outside the skin. I don't know if they taught you this at your fancy military academy, but that's not where bone is supposed to be, bastard.”

“Your arm was in pretty bad shape, too.”

“My arm is made of  _ metal,  _ and you also got a concussion.” Edward shook his head. “The point is, I knew you'd be pissed, so I didn't want to tell you, especially not when you were still recovering yourself.”

“I'm not  _ pissed _ ,” Roy muttered. “Not at you, anyway. At this point, I shouldn't be surprised by your often careless behavior. Honestly, I was just relieved to hear that you were okay.”

Edward froze. That seemed to have caught him off guard. “If you're not here to scold me, then why  _ are  _ you here?”

Roy sighed. “Believe it or not, I don't take pleasure in lecturing you, Fullmetal. At least... not all of the time. I just don't want to see you getting hurt. I came to the hospital to check on you, and... I want to know what happened. Hughes refused to tell me any more than that it was at the Fifth Laboratory, you were there for something regarding the philosopher's stone, and you were attacked. He said I had to ask you about it myself. So I'm here.”

Ed just stared at him for a moment, then blew out a slow whistle. “That is a can of worms you do  _ not  _ want to open, Colonel.”

“Try me.”

Edward seemed to consider this, then nodded slowly. “Okay. Sure. But just remember that I warned you, okay? This is definitely not something we're supposed to have found out.”

“All the more reason why you should tell me. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with you knowing something that puts you in danger, especially if I'm out of the loop. You two are my responsibility, after all,” Roy reminded him. “In fact, it'd probably have been best if you hadn't stuck your nose where it didn't belong to begin with.”

Ed frowned, but didn't dignify that particular remark with any argument. Instead, he just said, “Al and I figured out how you create a philosopher's stone.”

Every thought in Roy's head came to a screeching halt, and for a moment he was utterly speechless. “That's... that's  _ great,  _ Fullmetal,” he breathed, and he meant it. “That means you can—!”

“No,” Edward interrupted. “It's really not.”

Roy... didn't know how to respond to that. If the Elrics had finally found out the secret to obtaining a philosopher's stone, then it meant they were just that much closer to getting their bodies back. But if that was the case, then why...?

“It was in Marcoh's notes, after we decoded them,” Ed continued. “Which took ages to do. But once we solved it...” He trailed off. Paused. Met Roy's gaze head on. “In order to make a philosopher's stone, you need to use human souls. A... a lot of them, actually. Depending on how powerful you want to make it.”

Oh.  _ Oh. _

Oh,  _ God _ .

“So, you'll find another way to get your bodies back to the way they once were,” Roy said, trying to keep his voice steady. Fine. If anyone could handle this challenge, it was the two of them. But that still begged the question... “What does that have to do with the Fifth Laboratory? Wasn't it never actually in use? It's been abandoned since...  _ unless— _ ”

Ed dropped his eyes to the floor of the roof below them once more. “Yeah, um. Armstrong and a couple of his men helped us figure it out; they've been escorting me and Al ever since Scar attacked, in case he decided to go after us. We figured that one of the alchemy laboratories in Central had to be the most likely locations where Marcoh had done his research. It seemed like Marcoh's research had actually been used, but we couldn't get much from him about it, other than the location of his materials... but Al and I have been to all four of them; nothing sketchy is going on behind closed doors, even at the Third one, where Marcoh worked. But when Major Armstrong put the map in front of us... I knew it had to be the Fifth Laboratory. Pretending it was just abandoned would make sure no one asked too many questions, right? And... the Fifth Laboratory has a prison next door.”

Roy sucked in a sharp breath.

“You don't mean...”

Edward nodded solemnly. “We theorized that they'd be using the prisoners for the experiments. And they wouldn't even have to lie, really. They could just claim to have executed condemned prisoners, so no one would bat an eye at their disappearance. Especially if the military was involved.”

“If the military was involved... they could've been bringing moving prisoners to this one's jurisdiction... just so they could use them for the philosopher's stones.” The very thought made Roy sick.

Ed nodded again, this idea having already occurred to him. Then, he hesitated. “You're... not going to like this next part. I didn't mention it to the others, but—”

“Just say it.”

“I think it's very possible that the Fifth Laboratory had most of it's success during the Ishvalan War.”

Roy couldn't help it, he flinched. Edward's eyes tracked the movement, but he pressed on.

“Think about it. Marcoh deserted soon after the war was finished. Armstrong said he didn't blame him, because he'd also seen the horrors of the war. But I looked into it. Marcoh was the  _ only  _ State Alchemist for the military who didn't engage in combat, the official reason being that he was participating in important research for the military at the time of the conflict. But he's just as haunted by the war as any of you,” Ed told him, his golden eyes alight with that spark Roy had seen many times before, the one that meant the gears in that big brain of his were turning furiously. A sight that normally would've caused him a reluctant sort of joy now turned Roy's insides cold. “The number of Ishvalans simply killed on the battlefield far exceeds the number taken prisoner of war, but there were still countless of them. And it's not like those Ishvalans ever got taken back to their country. I'm not positive, but it makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? Vast numbers of people, gone without a trace. Except for the Fifth Laboratory.”

Roy sucked in a deep breath, let it out. He steeled himself. “So. What did you find?”

Ed crossed his arms over his stomach, where Roy knew the kid had received a pretty nasty stab wound in his side, if the nurse's files were to be believed. “Not much,” he confessed. “Al couldn't fit through the vents, so I had to go in there alone.”

“You went  _ alone _ ?!”

“Well, I wasn't alone for long.”

“That... why would that make me feel better at all, Fullmetal?”

Edward shrugged. “Relax, old man. I'm here now, aren't I?”

Roy wanted to point out that 'here' was a hospital the kid had wound up in as a result of his injuries, then thought better of it. They could argue in circles another day. He'd come to learn what had happened.

“Anyway, when I got inside, there was this big transmutation circle in the first room I ended up in. I figured it was the kind for making a philosopher's stone, since I didn't really recognize it, and I guess I was right. I didn't get too good of a look at it, though, because I was interrupted by this guy, the Slicer. A mass murderer who was one of the prisoners they'd experimented on.” Ed paused, and his fists clenched so hard that his knuckles turned white. “Colonel, his body was an empty suit of armor. Or their bodies, I should say. Two brothers, bonded to different halves of the same suit.”

Roy winced. It can't have been good, for the kid to face an enemy like that. “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine,” Ed replied, waving him off. “His sword just grazed my side, and I got clocked on the head pretty bad, but I'll be okay.” That wasn't exactly what Roy had been asking, but all right. “I managed to defeat them, but when I refused to kill them they were pretty surprised that I saw them as human. I wouldn't have killed them anyway, but... with Al... it was hard not to see him, you know? And I  _ hate  _ that, because that means that  _ that's  _ how I think of my little brother, now, and not who he was before, but. There you have it. They're all human.”

“You shouldn't beat yourself up for not killing anyone, Edward,” Roy said softly. “It was the right thing to do.”

Ed glanced at Roy skeptically. “Yeah, well, I know that. Fat lot of good it did them, though,” he muttered. “Just as he was about to tell me what'd been going on in the lab, some lady came out of nowhere and killed him. Just like that. Because she didn't want him to 'reveal everything.'”

“You think she might be one of the people in charge of the whole operation?”

“I'm not sure. She definitely talked like she thought she was pretty damn important. Her buddy, too, they came in together— both with dark hair, dark clothes, super pale skin. They even had the same tattoo. It's kind of fuzzy after they came in... I had already lost a lot of blood,” Edward pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes, as if trying to remember. “I know the one was some woman... she could stretch her fingers clear across the room, and they were as sharp as knives. She killed the Slicer with them. Ripped the metal that had the seal on it like it was paper. The other... I'm not sure. Could've been a boy or a girl. Long hair, kind of high voice, but... I think a he? He stabbed the other part of Slicer with a sword... knocked me out, I think, because I wanted to fight him for calling me a pipsqueak. The last thing I heard before blacking out was the woman saying they should burn the place down. I guess we got too close to something they didn't want us to find out.”

“That definitely makes it seem like they had some sort of influence on what happened there,” Roy mused, ignoring the fire of rage burning in his chest. Fullmetal was fine. If anyone had seriously hurt the kid... well, Roy would've found them and burned them to ash already. “Putting out their descriptions might be dangerous, but it's good that you remember so much. We can at least warn those we know we can trust. I'll be sure to alert my team, at the very least. Thank you for trusting me with this, Fullmetal.”

“You didn't really give me too much of a choice.”

Roy ignored him. “You say they had the same tattoo? Can you describe it?”

Edward rolled his eyes, but complied regardless. “Sure. It was super weird. The woman had it by her collarbone, the guy on the side of his left thigh. Bright red dragon biting its own tail, with a six pointed star in the middle. I have no clue what it means. Never seen anything like it before.”

Neither had Roy, but he committed the description to memory.

“I asked Lieutenant Colonel Hughes to see if he could find anything about it, though.” Misunderstanding Roy's expression for one of confusion, Edward continued. “Oh, I asked him to look into the whole situation for us. I know he's a good friend of yours, and he's been nothing but generous to Al and I, so I figured we could trust him. Plus, he's head of investigations, so he'll have a sharper eye and access to all sorts of information we don't. I'm really glad he offered to help.”

“Yes, about that,” Roy began, with some hesitation. He wasn't sure how well received him replacing Hughes in their efforts would be. After all, the two of them did seem to like his idiot best friend more. Or... maybe idiot' wasn't quite fair. He may not have been as scientifically inclined as Roy or the Elrics themselves, but Hughes was still a genius in his own right. “I've decided I'll be helping you with that instead.”

Edward first looked shocked, then narrowed his eyes in blatant disbelief. “Since when have  _ you _ ever wanted to help  _ us _ ? You only care about yourself.”

He seemed to realize the words were wrong as soon as they were out of his mouth. His eyes grew wide again, and he launched himself to his feet, reaching a hand out towards Roy and then dropping it back down to his side in an aborted motion.

Roy forced himself to offer the kid a reassuring smile, even as he closed himself off. “Well. You make a fair point. I'm not doing this for you, of course, I simply just have the spare time. Hughes, unlike me, has a family he has to care for and is still working full time. I figured I'd help him out a little, to repay him for saving my sorry self. I know you'd rather have Hughes' assistance, but I'll have to do. I'm sorry to disappoint you.” He stood and turned on his heel, feeling a deep emptiness in his chest. Fullmetal was right, after all. When  _ had  _ Roy ever done anything for them? Sure, he'd brought them into the military, but... the Elrics hated all the jobs they were sent on. Everyone said he was crazy for hiring a kid, and maybe they were right. Ed and Al could've investigated without the benefits provided them by Ed's State Alchemist status. And he clearly was a sorry excuse for a superior officer if his subordinates were getting themselves sent to hospitals with him being none the wiser.

He wanted to be better. He wanted to do more for those he cared about. But... with the Elrics, it seemed like a lost cause. They didn't want or need his support, because despite what Hughes and Winry said, he evidently hadn't been there much up until now. Not if that's what Edward really thought. Any efforts he tried to make would be too little, too late.

“Colonel, wait, I— you know I didn't mean—”

“It's fine, Fullmetal,” Roy cut him off, wishing for the umpteenth time that his leg weren't broken so he could get to the door faster. “I'm not offended. You're right, as usual. I'll let you know if I find anything that seems relevant whenever you're next in Central. Before that, however, I have a train to catch back to East City. I head from Miss Rockbell you'll all be going to Rush Valley in a few days or so. Safe travels.”

And then suddenly, Ed was in front of him, blocking Roy's way to the door. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, visibly hesitating over what he should say. Then, Roy watched as his open, bordering on concerned expression... shuttered. Edward looked back at him, now impassive, and it almost made Roy believe he had imagined the whole thing. This was normal between the two of them, after all. It really seemed like he'd never be able to break down the distrust Fullmetal harbored towards him. A shame. He'd started to think that maybe they could finally get there. That he could be honest with Ed about how much he meant to him. That he could admit to himself he'd do anything if it meant this kid,  _ his  _ kid, and his brother would be happy.

Roy's mistake. He should've known better than to believe he'd ever be anything to the Elrics other than their selfish boss, a man who  _ only cared about himself.  _ As much as that was the thing Roy least wanted to be.

“There's something else,” Edward told him, all business once again. “If... if you're  _ actually  _ going to do research for us, since you've apparently got nothing better to do, then there's something else you should know.” He drew in a breath. “They said something about me being a... a sacrifice.”

Roy swore, in that moment he felt his heart stop.

“...What do you think it means?” Edward asked, and there was that slight falter again, the uncertainty that, combined with the idea of Fullmetal being  _ sacrificed  _ for something, was almost enough for Roy to say damn everything else and just hold the kid, protect this child who'd been forced to grow up so fast from everyone and everything that ever wanted to hurt him, vow that he cared about the Elrics ten times more than he had ever valued his own life.

Almost, but not quite.

Instead, he simply brushed past Fullmetal out the door with a simple, “Let's hope we never have to find out.”

And they certainly wouldn't, because a single thought was playing on loop in Roy's head now, a thought he'd never dream of sharing, and would just a few days later wish he had.  _ A sacrifice? Over my dead body. _

**Author's Note:**

> ...do you see where I'm going with this? :)
> 
> It's about to go down. Get ready. I hope you're as excited as I am.


End file.
